one man show

The picture is one I painted after my previous trip to the Santa Fe area.  It is conte stick on red suede board.


Suppose I give a one man show

Collect the pieces I’ve let go

And rent a space both wide and grand

Pictures in a hall, sculpture on a stand

And I stay and listen to the critics cry

The slams and complements that fly

From the mouths of fools, masters and kings

Would it help or hurt the cause of things?

Or would it only waste my time?



Suppose I gather a one man band

And sit myself by a hotdog stand

In a county fair or festival

And sing and play till the air is full

And wrench the hearts of those who hear

With a song of love, sorrow or fear

Until the day or my voice is gone

With the hope that the crowd stays on and on

Would I only waste their time?



But suppose I offer a friendly hand

To a lonely soul, or a broken man

And stay a bit til the sting subsides

And he wanders off to where he resides

A little stronger for the bit we shared

With a happy tale of someone who cared

And I walked away to a sumptuous spot

To carry on in my spoiled lot

Where I waste much more than time.



Do the things I have and the things I’ve done

Ever last a day, ever change someone?

Are accomplishments worth the energy;

Do I give myself to what’s meant for me?

Will it mean a thing if I reach some goal

and ignore the things put in my control?

In the here and now, in the scope of things

Is success, success if no truth it brings

and I’ve wasted all my time?  DW '06